


Citrus

by witchymagnolia



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchymagnolia/pseuds/witchymagnolia
Summary: The story of Selene Amada, her third year at Duel Academy, and a trouble that always seems to arise.
Relationships: Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

"I still can't believe Jaden passed his exams."

Selene leaned back on her chair, balancing on its hind legs as she pressed her knees against her desk. Gently rocking back and forth in the chair, she looked up towards the bright lights that hung overhead. Falling back onto all four legs of the chair, she dropped her feet down to the floor.

"You know this Jaden Yuki?" Zane inquired, turning back to look at her from his balcony. Strange, he hardly ever had that much curiosity in a specific person. Still she answered him.

"He's my little cousin," Selene responded, standing up from her chair and pacing around the large dorm room. It was extremely tidy, the only thing out seemingly out of place was her olive green bag, which she had thrown onto his bed earlier.

Walking to the edge of the room, she pushed the half ajar glass door further open, stepping onto the balcony. Leaning on the railing beside Zane, she watched as the pearly white ship began to approach the harbor. The one that carried the incoming first-years.

"Remember when we were in their shoes?" Selene mused, laughing a little. "You were already so confident, I wasn't sure how. I was a bit nervous, wasn't I?"

"A bit is putting it lightly," he remarked with a bit of a scoff. He thought of the quiet girl he met those years ago, who was trembling when they talked. Now, she could hardly be quiet for more than a few seconds.

"But look at us, we're in our third year now," she continued cheerfully, appearing to ignore his remark. "And you're taller than me now."

She raised her hand over him, as if to measure his height. It wasn't fair that he grew from half an inch shorter than her to seven inches taller than her. It was the only thing she could hold over him, literally, in their first year. Still, she took it in stride. And so did he, as evidenced by the faintest of upturn on his lips. She dropped her arm, leaning on the railing towards the view.

"Well, if Jaden could beat Crowler, we're sure to have an interesting year aren't we? Oh!-" she exclaimed, standing straight up- "and your brother is in the first year class too, right?"

Zane didn't respond, his gaze remaining fixated on the view of the harbor.

"Not very chatty today, hare we? You can't be that upset at the first years. Besides, even if she went to Duel Academy's middle school, Atticus' sister is a first year too, right?" Selene pressed her finger to her lips. "Or maybe, you want to duel Jaden, Kaiser?"

He shifted ever-so-slightly. So subtly most might not have noticed the change. However over the years, she had learned to pick up small signs from him. The Kaiser wasn't very expressive after all, he had an invulnerable image to maintain in front of others. He had to, before for his younger brother and now for the academy.

"Of course not, I don't bother with such trivial matters," he answered simply, his eyes fixated on the ship docking in the harbor.

"That's what you say, but how do you feel?"

He ignored her comment. As he often did with her offhand remarks. She didn't mind though, in fact she only laughed whenever he chose to ignore her. She found something humorous in it.

"The opening ceremony is starting soon," he said. "You should really go."

"It doesn't matter," she said, brushing loose strands of her dark hair behind her ear as they came about with the breeze. She let out a heavy exhale, focusing on the blue clad figures that littered the garden below the balcony. "They say the same things every year."

"You're the number two student in our year, you must set a precedent for others," he replied, folding his arms. She noted his new white blazer had finally fit him, unlike his old blue blazer.

"You know the number two title doesn't belong to me," she said in an almost joking fashion. But despite her lighthearted, cheerful tone, she was serious.  
"Regardless of who it really belongs to, you are still one of the top students in our year."

"Ugh- alright, alright." She tilted her head, giving small exhale. "If you're going to be so insistent maybe I'll consider going."

The two stood in a comfortable silence. She quietly took in the view that she had become accustomed to over the years. Beyond the green covered rocky cliffs was the dark sea, glistening under the sun and forming a sharp contrast with the bright sky. Although it was fall, summer hadn't completely left the island yet as they took in the warm sunlight.

After minutes of standing in silence, she sharply turned on her hell. Her sudden movements caught Zane's attention from the corner of his eye. Turning around, he saw her walk towards the glass doors back into the room still slightly hanging open.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she pulled the door further open.

Without missing a beat as she held the door, she said, "To get ready for the opening ceremony, of course. If I'm to set a good example, I might as well look good doing it."

With a small laugh, she winked at him before walking inside. Grabbing her bag which she carelessly threw on his bed earlier and quickly threw it on her shoulder. He watched as she exited his room, letting the door fall closed as she made her way out. It had become quiet again.

Turning back to the view, he sighed.

"She's so ridiculous."


	2. Chapter 2

Selene was almost disgusted at how quickly she found herself readjusting to school life. The summer break was far too short, and upon returning to classes it felt as if she had never left.

She was officially an upperclassman, and it was strange. She remembered walking into Duel Academy for the first time and thinking that the upperclassmen had it all together, that she'd just need to wait a few years and she'd have to together too.

But here she was, third-year, and she still felt as unsure as ever.

She glanced over at her alarm clock on her nightstand. In its ever so villainous vivid red glow, it told her it was time to leave if she still wanted to have breakfast and make it to class on time. Adding one last dab of color to her cheeks, she quickly shut close the peachy orange plastic compact.

It was starting to get chilly, after all the year had finally breached October though the autumn came late in the south. Despite this, they weren't to switch to winter uniforms for another few weeks. Selene had tossed her cardigan over her chair after she came back to the dorm the previous night, throwing there after returning from the shower. As she stepped to grab it, she looked to the corkboard that hung over her desk, her eyes being drawn to a photo printed on cheap paper that she had clipped from a brochure.

It was a photo of the four of them, in the beginning of their first year. The four of them were sitting on the pristine white front steps of the old dorm, before it fell into destitute. Selene had much shorter hair then, cropped barely above her shoulders. The boy sitting next to Selene wore an awkward smile, green hair framing his face. Sitting behind him, the boy with long brown hair was leaning down, his beaming face squeezed between the green-haired boy and Selene as his arm was wrapped around the boy. Sitting next to him was Zane, his arms folded but had the faintest semblance of an awkward smile.

They all had baby faces then, she mused quietly. It was hard to believe it was only taken a little under two years ago. So much had changed in a short amount of time.

She wondered when Atticus and Yusuke were found would they recognize her, or if she be able to recognize them. She wondered if they changed, what was happening to them wherever they were. Would it affect them permanently? More likely, she supposed.

But she didn't have time to dwell, she had to go eat breakfast.

Selene bent down to pick up the familiar metal can she bought so frequently. Standing back up, she examined the familiar beige packaging out of habit. Looking at the little cartoon illustrations of coffee beans that littered the label.

"You shouldn't drink so much coffee, you know," a monotonous voice called.

"Good morning to you too," she said without even bothering to glance up at Zane's disapproving stare.

"You left this in my room."

Zane tossed something toward her. Her head snapped up, barely catching the object in surprise. She stumbled back a little holding it clutched close to her chest. Selene opened her hand to a small cylindrical tube made of bright pink plastic with little purple roses printed across.

"My lip balm!" she exclaimed excitedly before tossing it into her black school bag. "I was looking for that, thanks."

She flicked the little metal tab, popping open the can before taking a swig of the coffee. She relished in its bitter taste, a taste she had associated with mid-mornings, her favorite time of day.

He began to walk away, and she quickly stepped after him.

"Missed you at breakfast by the way," she said before downing another gulp of coffee. " They had your favorite too- sleep in?"

It was a rhetorical question. No matter how late he stayed up Zane never overslept. Atticus used to joke that Zane was a cyborg with some sort of programmed alarm.

"I got distracted on my way here-"

He was cut off by a the loud voice of a boy. She looked up and saw marching down the hall three first-years dressed in blue blazers. She recognized them from the guided tour she led the previous year. The one in the middle, with the big black hair that reminded Selene of a spider, seemed to be the source of the voice.

"Ugh who does that drop-out think he is?! Does he think he can challenge me, Chazz Princeton and actually expect to win?!" the boy exclaimed, clenching his fists as they passed by one another.

"Ah-" Selene couldn't help but smile once the boys were out of earshot. "The first years have so much energy don't they?"

"You really are one to talk, Selene," Zane replied, folding his arms.

"Oh please, I have nowhere near as much as that boy we just passed."

Selene caught a flash of movement from around the curved walls. She grabbed Zane's sleeve, pulling him aside as a boy dressed in a red blazer sprinted down the hall.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" the boy yelled, before he disappeared around the corner. After him, a shorter boy also dressed with the same blazer came running about, obviously running out of breath.

" Jaden, wait up!" the boy called after his friend before he too disappeared around the corner.

"Or as them," she remarked, turning back towards her friend. Placing a finger to her lips, she thought about the familiarity of the first face that ran past in a blur. And she was sure she heard the second boy say, "Jaden." Though she wasn't exactly sure. "Huh, I think that was my cousin actually. I'll have to say hi later."

"You're lucky we don't have an alchemy lab today."

"What? This is only my second can, it takes three for me to get jittery."

"That's not something to be proud of…?"

"My grandfather only let me have tea over the summer, give a girl a break won't you?"

Selene: 2000

Lucas: 1000

Selene was, frankly, quite tired. And it wasn't because the effects of caffeine have worn off.

Class duels could be such a pain, but if she wanted to maintain her grades she didn't have much of a choice.

On one end of the field she stood, keeping up her enthusiastic attitude and wide grin as she stood confident with her monster before her. A purple skinned beauty her wild hair spread out like a lion's mane about her. Glimmering swords in her hands as she stared down the empty field across from her.

Lunalight Sabre Dancer  
Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
3000 ATK/2600 DEF

On the other side of the field stood a blonde boy, his stance wide and frustration gleaned on his face. He had two facedown cards out, but not a single monster. Nevertheless, neither of them could help him at this point, knowing what they were thanks to an earlier spell card.

"Alrighty Sabre Dancer- let's end this!"

The girl jumped from her space, holding her gleaming swords up in the air as if to slash her opponent, who flinched as the hologram passed through him. She returned to Selene's side of the field, lightly floating down before disappearing.

Selene: 2000

Lucas: 0

The boy slumped over a little, sighing heavily.

Selene walked up to him. Smiling, she held her left hand out towards him.

"Good duel, man," she said.

The boy straightened up, glancing at her hand looking a little bit surprised. Mustering a small smile, he reached out to grab her hand.

"Absolutely wonderful! I expected nothing less from the second best student at the Academy!" Crowler said with the highest amount of praise he could, clapping his hands.

"Thank you, doctor," Selene replied. Placing her hands together, she gave a bow to the teacher.

"I'm sure we can all learn from such a wonderful duelist like Miss Amada, can we not?" he continued, looking around the dueling hall as he motioned towards Selene. "Alright. That is all for today, dismissed!"

Selene stood by the base of the steps, leaning on the cold railing. She thanked the congratulations given to her by her classmates as they walked off. As per usual, Zane was the last person to walk down. She never could understand why he chose to never sit in the seats like everyone else.

"Ha~ I'm so tired," she said with a stretch and a yawn as the two walked towards the exit. "Assigned duels always wear me out."

"You definitely weren't trying your hardest today," he remarked coolly. He folded his arms, glancing at her with his typical narrowed eyes of disapproval. "Your dueling today was lacking to say the least."

"It's true but you don't have to say it," Selene replied, giving an over exaggerated pout. As she did, she suddenly came to be painfully aware of the feeling of hunger gnawing in her stomach.

"Do you know what they're serving at dinner tonight?"

"They're supposed have the curry."

"Oh perfect-!" Selene clapped her hands together- "Just what I needed!"

Something flashed in her peripherals. Turning her head a little, she saw a group of three girls staring at Zane with wide eyes as they whispered among each other. They pointed at him, giggling a little. The shortest of the girls, with short auburn colored hair, blushed a furious shade of pink.

"Hm? I see you've already caught the eye of some first year girls," Selene remarked, the corners of her mouth up turning into a wide grin.

"Don't remind me."

"Aw- what's the face for?" she said, pitching her voice up into an overly-cutesy tone. "Who knows, maybe you'll meet a cute one that catches your eye!"

"I don't understand nor do I want too." Zane said with a roll of his eyes before coming to a halt. Looking at her, he nodded towards further down the hall. "I still have to go talk to Professor Yamaguchi. I'll see you at dinner."

"Alright," she said, giving him a three finger salute with the click of her tongue. "Catch you later."

Selene turned down the corner towards the exit. As she approached closer to the doors that has been propped open, voices from outside became clearer.

"All right! This is amazing!" a boy's voice exclaimed as Selene stepped through the doorway.

"Jaden-" a higher, wavering voice began.

"Hm? Jaden?"

Selene quickly stepped towards the concrete bench outside the entryway where two red dressed boys stood. The shorter of the boys leaning upon the bench armrest.

The taller of the boys turned towards her and despite the fact it had been quite a few years, his widened expression told of recognition.

"Selene!"

Jaden ran up to her, giving her a tight hug. Selene stumbled back a little, taken a bit aback by the sudden embrace and a bit worried that he would step on her boots. Still, after taking a second to process it, she quickly squeezed him back.

"Hey you, it's been awhile!" she said, laughing. Pulling back, she glanced up at him noticing he had lost a considerable amount of baby fat in his face since the last time she saw him. Glancing at him up and down, she exclaimed, "You've gotten so tall!"

"Hehe- I know right? Haven't seen you much since we moved." He laughed heartily. " Hey, how's grandpa?"

"He's doing well, same as always. But he did just get put on a new medication." She paused, pressing her lips together as she thought of her grandfather. He often complained that his other grandchildren never bothered to call. "Call him sometime, won't you?"

The boy leaning against the bench piped up, his soft voice curious.

"Jaden, who is this?" he inquired.

"Oh! Sorry Sy." Jaden turned to the boy he called "Sy," gesturing towards Selene. "This is my cousin, Selene!"

"Nice to meet you," she said, giving a small bow. "Selene Amada. Third year."

"Syrus Truesdale." The boy pushed his wire frame glasses up his nose before giving a deeper bow towards her. "Nice to meet you too."

So this is the infamous Syrus, huh? she thought, looking at the boy almost curiously. Interesting. He's quite different from Zane.

"What are you guys up too?" she asked.

"Exploring!" Jaden said enthusiastically, as he always has. "This place is huge!"

"Yeah, I remember it was really easy to get lost," Selene mused with a small laugh. "I saw you running down the hall this morning, did you get lost?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"He also slept in…" Syrus remarked, crossing his arms as he cast a disapproving glance at his friend.

"Sy!"

Though I suppose they're similar in some senses.

"Well, if you boys have any questions you can always feel free to ask me! Here-" Selene coaxed the academy-issued PDA from his hand- "I'll give you my contact."

Once she finished typing out her information, she handed it back to him with a smile saying, "Feel free to call me anytime you need anything."

"Wow! Thanks man!" he replied, raising his fist.

Selene gave him a gentle fist bump. Giving a wave and a "Gotta go, see ya!" Jaden and Syrus sprinted off towards the direction of the red dorm. Upon further thought, she realized it was strange that Jaden ended up in the red dorm, despite beating Crowler.

"Though, if his written exam was bad…" she said aloud to herself, putting a finger to her lips. "Mm… I don't think he'll drop out though, he's far too stubborn for that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

* * *

"What? Someone got into our dorm last night?"

Selene looked at her friend, eyebrows raised slightly. Of course, it wasn't like it hadn't happened before but surely who could possibly be _stupid_ enough to try and sneak into the girl's dorm.

"That's right!" Calla folded her arms, nodding furiously as she often did. Her dark blonde pigtails bounced along with her head. "I saw it with my own two eyes, I swear!"

"Didn't say I don't believe you." Selene tossed the empty can she held into a trashcan, hearing it clatter against the side before falling in. "Who was it, anyways?"

"They didn't catch him." Calla pointed a finger upwards before giving a deep sigh. "He ran into the lake before someone could restrain him."

"I can't believe this. It's only the beginning of the year and trouble is already happening."

"Trouble? There's never really that much-" Calla's words faltered, her face drooping and her voice becoming quieter than it had been previously. "Oh…"

Fiddling with the grey strap of her book bag, Calla bit her lip. She shifted uncomfortably and fidgeted with her fingers. Casting her gaze downwards, she slowly moved her eyes up towards Selene.

"How are you doing, by the way?"

Selene merely glanced up to her friend, smiling as she often did. She shook her head, her face unchanging. Seemingly unfazed by the question she received so often.

"By the way, you know we're getting Banner's exam back today right?" Selene said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.

The color drained from Calla's face in that moment. Her lips parted a little forming a small O shape. Her large green eyes grew as wide as plates as she came to the realization that she would have to face her score, good or bad.

"Oh no! If I did bad on that and then do bad on the duel exam, I'm going to be demoted!" she cried, now gripping the straps of her bag.

"You studied for it-" Selene waved her hand in the air carelessly- "You'll be fine."

The girls stopped before a set double doors. A sign that hung over read, **3-B.** Calla stopped, taking a deep inhale before sighing dramatically.

"By the way, you're not tutoring after school today, right? You wanna go to movie night?" Calla pressed a finger to her lips as if she was deep in thought. "I heard they're showing that new animated film, Plucking a Star."

Selene shook her head.

"Can't. Got something else to do."

"Study? It's the weekend though." Calla raised her brows slightly. Her lips pressed into a small frown. "Or are you hanging out with the Kaiser?"

"I do other things too, you know!" Selene huffed, lightly punching her friend in the arm.

Calla laughed softly, turning towards the double doors.

"Well, see you later then."

Selene gave her friend a three finger salute paired with the click of her tongue.

"See ya."

Selene turned to continue further down until she reached her classroom, 3-A.

Walking down the lecture halls descending steps, she quietly slid into her seat in the third row up from the bottom. Right next to the stairs. Zane already sitting in the seat beside her.

"Morning," she said, shuffling through her bag for her alchemy notebook. Pulling out many of her other notebooks, folders, textbooks and miscellaneous papers in the search for the pale pink book, she placed them in a stack on her desk.

"You really need to start organizing your things," Zane remarked with an almost disgusted tone. He grabbed some the miscellaneous papers that had fallen onto his area of the workspace, tapping them against the tabletop to straighten them out.

Shuffling through them, he realized they were old philosophy assignments. From the stack of items she laid out, he pulled away a plastic purple folder from its middle and stuck the tests inside.

"There it is!" she exclaimed, plucking out the coveted pink notebook and slamming it onto her desk.

Zane handed her back her history folder. With a thanks she took it and stuck it back into her bag. Grabbing her items one at a time, she quickly filed them back into her bag, making them a tad less crooked than they were that morning.

* * *

The cobblestone path that led from the campus to the old dorm, once in pristine condition had now been overrun with weeds and covered by brambles. The branches of the trees which surrounded the path had been untended, letting them form a cover above the old path. If you didn't know where it was, or weren't looking for it then you could very well miss it.

Selene followed the path down into the woods, her heels no longer clicked against the hard stone but were muffled against the plants that had grown over it. The canopy above let only small patches of sunlight through.

Pushing her way through the tall shrubbery that had grown over the end of the old path, she emerged in a clearing that seemed to only get more dismal the more she visited. Looking at her PDA, she had about three hours until dinner. Three hours until people would start getting suspicious.

She looked behind her. A habit of hers, to make sure nobody had followed her before glancing back down at her PDA. Clamping it closed, she tossed it into her bag and walked up to the entrance of the old dorm. Though it had only been a little under a year since the last time anybody had lived there, it seemed to have aged many years in their absence.

Not a trace of its former regality in sight. Its once perfectly manicured gardens had become overgrown, overrun with weeds. The building itself, now seemed to be dismayed at its current state. Tall windows once fit for royalty had been shattered and a chill seemed to surround the area.

The gate- once well maintained- had the glossy paint chipped away leaving rusting metal exposed. Upon the gate hung a sign, written in crude bold handwriting on a plank of wood, **Dangerous, Do Not Enter.** Selene pushed open the gate, slightly, scrunching her face in pain at the horrid noise it made. Slipping through the small gap she made, she gently pushed it closed as to make it seem untouched.

Looking behind her once more to make sure nobody had followed, she walked up to the entryway of the dorm. The small set of stairs that led to the building's threshold were now in disrepair. Weeds peeking through the cracks that had seemingly formed from nowhere. It was hard to believe these were the same stairs that photograph she hung up had been taken.

The looming double doors, foreboding as if warning not to proceed any further, still hung slightly ajar. Untouched since her last visit. Carefully slipping between the gap, she entered the foyer of her former home.

No longer brightly lit, it was completely dark save for the dim light fluttering in through the windows and her flashlight. The air was damp, smelling of must as she walked towards the right staircase, pausing before a photo of Atticus hanging on the wall. His long brown hair wild, smiling brightly as he often did, she couldn't help but stare at it for more than a brief moment.

It had become much quieter without Atticus around. His almost comical optimism and upbeat chatter always seemed to bring light into a dark room. Or maybe that was his hideously bright fashion sense, who knew. But Atticus knew how to make people smile, even if they had been sobbing a minute before.

So why did it take him?

Selene shook her head. She had to concentrate. She was here to find clues to find them. After all, people don't simply just disappear as they had. And though she had possibly investigated every single corner of the old building, she was sure there was something she missed. There had to be, because people don't simply go missing.

At the top of the staircase was a wooden door, whose white paint had began to chip away, revealing the rotting wood beneath. Gently twisting the rusting knob, she pushed open the door and stepped into what once was the second-floor common room.

As it had no windows, Selene shone her flashlight about the room. The once white wallpaper was now stained brown, with strips beginning to peel away. Shining her flashlight towards the middle of the room, in the center was a short glass table where they had spent many hours dueling one another now covered by a thick blanket of dust. Atticus often lounged on the velour couch that sat behind the table, strumming away at his ukulele.

Shining her flashlight towards the opposite wall was a nightstand now covered in dust. There used to be an extravagant ceramic vase atop it, with pastel blue flowers painted across and fresh hydrangeas sitting inside. Selene had knocked it over, though. When she was tired of losing to him she grabbed Yusuke by the arms and began poorly dancing with him to whatever Atticus was singing. Unfortunately, she bumped into the nightstand, knocking over and shattering the vase.

She turned to the left, walked down a long, wide hallway. The royal blue carpet muffled her footsteps before she came to a stop about three-quarters down. Held onto the door by a strip of tape speckled with a pattern made up of little orange flowers, an aged paper that read "Yusuke Fujiwara."

Yusuke had always been a rather private person, even back before he went missing Selene hardly entered his dorm room. She supposed that might be the reason she never entered it on her investigations. It felt like an invasion of privacy. A betrayal to one of her best friends.

Yusuke, though quiet and a bit of a character, always supported their strange antics. Though not as vocally optimistic as Atticus, he was always one to support anybody and everybody especially in regards to dueling. He was a fantastic duelist, of course. He always was. But he proved himself to be an even better companion. One who Selene often confided in.

She felt her PDA vibrate in her bag. Opening it, she realized that it was nearly dinner time. She looked back towards Yusuke's room door, before looking back that the numbers on the screen. Sighing, she shut her PDA closed.

"Don't worry Yusuke…" she said, glancing at the door one last time. "We'll find you and Atticus both, I promise. And everything... And everything will be okay again."

* * *

"Hey!" Selene greeted, setting her tray down upon the table with a clatter before slipping into her usual seat.

Zane looked up from his food, already halfway done with what seemed to be braised fish.

"You're later than usual," he remarked coldly, not missing a beat.

Selene gave her usual overexaggerated pout.

"I lost track of time and I still needed to take a shower, you know?" Selene grabbed her still-slightly-damp hair, twisting it upwards into a ponytail. "Gotta go before it gets crowded later. And that takes a while."

It wasn't a complete lie. Selene had returned to her dorm to briefly shower before dinner, as to not raise any suspicions as to why she would be covered in a mixture of dust and dirt.

Zane looked at her, raising an eyebrow and narrowing his eyes slightly. Almost as if he didn't believe her. She felt her heart tremble in her chest a little, anxious. She wondered if he could tell she was lying.

"Yeah, and naps do too I'm assuming," he said, returning to his food.

Selene's heart gave a sigh of relief as she smiled brightly. With a laugh, she said, "I can never get anything past you, can I?"

Zane's right hand rested partially open on the table. Running across his pale palm, a long white scar was highly visible.

He was helping her pick up the scattered shards of the broken vase as he reprimanded her for her carelessness. Abruptly stopping himself mid-sentence with an "Ow!" and an uncharacteristic expletive. Looking over Selene saw his hand covered in red and dripping with fresh blood, as Zane held it with his other hand wincing in the pain.

They panicked, of course. And Selene sprinted off towards Nurse Fontaine's room screaming that Zane was bleeding _a lot._ She was still surprised she didn't wake the whole dorm that night.

It was something she still felt guilty for, a year and a half later. Had she not been so careless, maybe Zane wouldn't have that scar.

If only she had been less careless, she supposed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Huh?"

Selene stared at the gate, no longer hanging from a single rusty hinge but now lying on the ground, cloaked by a thin layer of the dry, brick-colored dust. The sign that read, **Dangerous, Do Not Enter** had the faint imprint of the bottom of a shoe.

"Strange," she said aloud to herself. "This was still up last time I was here… Did someone come here after I did?"

It might have been curious first-years. In all honesty, in her own first-year she might have done the same thing if she had heard of a rumor of an abandoned dorm on campus. But she wasn't a first year, and these weren't mere rumors.

Shining flashlight about, she noticed a flash of red among the browning grass. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a dark red rose, sitting before the gate. It was still fairly fresh for a cut flower with no water about, indicating that someone had placed it there very recently.

She would have to be more careful from then on. She couldn't risk being caught in the dorm.

* * *

"Ah~ looks like fifteen Ra students passed their promotion duels," Selene said, scrolling through the digital newsletter on her PDA. Scanning the list of names on the list she muttered, "More than usual."

"Selene! Kaiser!"

The two stopped walking and turned to see a familiar face running towards them. Her dark blonde pigtails flying behind her as she jogged.

"Oh, hey Calla," Selene said, closing her PDA as Calla stopped before them. "Just read the new DA Daily. Good job on it."

Calla raised her hand as she hunched over, indicating she was catching her breath. Standing back up, still a little short of breath but smiling she said, "Thanks- did you like the new formatting?"

"It's great, much easier to read."

"Good- that's what I was hoping for." Standing up straight, Calla shook her head before glancing at the Kaiser and then back at Selene. She grabbed her friend firmly by the shoulders, looking her dead in the eye.

"But that's not what I'm hear to talk about!" she exclaimed.

"Hm? What is it?" Selene asked, loosely circling around Calla's wrists, a bit perplexed at what she could be so worked up about.

Calla let go, staring at Selene, her mouth a little gaping and her brows furrowed.

"You haven't heard yet?"

"Heard…?"

"Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale, they're your family right?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"They got caught trespassing into the old dorm!"

Selene felt her heart drop in that moment, her eyes widening.

"What? You're kidding!" she exclaimed half in disbelief and half in surprise.

Calla crossed her arms, shaking her head furiously as she often did.

"Not only that but apparently Crowler said if they don't want to be expelled, they have to participate in a tag duel against some pros!"

"Syrus…" Zane muttered, turning about.

"Eh? Zane where are you going?" Selene yelled as he began to walk away. She looked back towards Calla, her brows knitted worriedly, before looking back to Zane. Glancing at Calla one more time, she sighed. "Thanks for the info, Cal. Catch up later?"

Calla merely waved her hand carelessly I'm response. Selene gave her friend a three finger salute before sprinting towards Zane, who already made considerable distance away despite his rather leisurely pace.

"Zane! Wait up!" she called after him, feeling herself drain from running. She really had to work out more.

Catching up to him, slightly out of breath from running so fast, she huffed in mild annoyance.

"Gee, you know it's rude to just walk away like that?" she said, placing her hands in her hips. He appeared to have not heard her, as he continued to walk not looking away from straight ahead. Letting her arms drop, she looked at him concerned. He always had some reaction to what she said no matter what it was.

"Alright, what's wrong?" she huffed.

"My brother won't survive the duel as is."

Selene slowly blinked a few times, processing what he had just said. She knew Zane could be blunt, but his casual absolute brutality in that statement caused her to be a bit taken aback.

"A tad harsh, don't you think?" she finally responded after a few moments of silence.

"I know my brother, Selene." Zane shook his head a little, sighing. "With the way he duels, he should start packing now."

Selene looked at Zane. He seemed to be rather deep in thought, looking aimlessly towards the ground.

"Well…" she began, trying to think of something to say. "It's been a while since the last time you saw him duel, right? Maybe he's changed."

"You're too nice, Selene."

"You're much too cruel, Kaiser."

She paused, watching him mull over his brother's rather sticky situation.

"Trespassing into the old dorm, huh… I wonder what they could have been doing there."

"Nothing good, that's for sure."

"Hey you know, what that-"

Selene's words abruptly dropped. She was about to bring up the broken gate, but in doing so she would have inadvertently revealed her little investigations there.

Zane looked at her, expectantly waiting for her to finish her sentence. Frowning, had to quickly think of a way to twist her words into something else.

"... That-… that dorm is a dark place now…" she managed to stammer out. "I hope they're okay."

"Yes, I hope so too," Zane said, focusing his gaze straight ahead.

* * *

Selene liked to think of herself as an honest person, but that in itself was a lie.

She didn't like to think about it, but was forced to think about that after she had almost accidentally let it slip that she had been going on secret investigations to their old dorm.

Kicking up the bright emerald grass with her boots in her frustration, she thought about the guilt she had attempted to keep buried away. Had she done something that day, maybe none of that would have happened and Atticus and Yusuke and all the others would still be there. And her guilt of constantly lying to Zane, even though she knew he cared about them as much as she did. Still- she supposed this might be a time where the end justifies the means.

"Argh-!"

Selene was pulled out of her thoughts by a sudden, loud exclamation. Turning around, she realized she had wandered near the area of the red dorm. And a familiar red-clad figure was mindlessly stomping around in what seemed to be frustration.

"I can't believe the nerve…"

"Jaden?" Selene said, walking towards the figure who hadn't seemed to notice her presence. Waving her hand before his face, she repeated herself. "Hey, Jaden."

"Oh-" Jaden looked up, smiling- "Heya Selene!"

"Needed to clear your head too?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"About what?" Selene realized that she may have sounded a little commanding, and tried to think of something to say to soften her words a little. "If you don't mind telling me, of course."

"Syrus… His brother, that _Kaiser_ guy said something about an off limits card! And because of him Syrus doesn't have any will to duel!" Jaden clenched his fists, holding them up as if he was about to fight somebody. Clenching his jaw, he continued. "And when I went to go request a duel to see how good this guy really is, Crowler tore up my request form!"

Jaden threw his hands up in the air, mimicking the movement of someone tearing up a piece of paper and scattering it everywhere before bringing his hands back down.

"I can't believe this. Who does that Kaiser think he is?!"

"Kaiser? Oh- you mean Zane. Well, yeah. He can be a…" Selene paused, thinking of the blue-haired boy. She tapped her finger against her chin, casting her glance a little to the side. "... a tad rough around the edges."

"You know him Selene?" he asked, staring at Selene with inquisitive eyes.

"He's a good friend."

"Your friend?"

Jaden clapped his hands together, his face brightening as if he had just come up with the most ingenious idea in the world. An expression that made Selene a little more than worried.

"That's it! Selene, tell Kaiser I want to duel him!"

"Wh-" Selene furrowed her brows. "Jaden, are you sure?"

"Positive. Never surer of anything in my life." He smiled, giving a thumbs up. "If beating him mean Syrus will have the passion to duel, then I'm absolutely positive I want to!"  
"Jaden, I know you can duel like hell but trust me- the Kaiser is even better."

"I know but it's just so frustrating standing around doing nothing!"

Jaden lightly stomped the ground, his shoulders tensing as he clenched his fists once more. Selene sighed, shaking her head a little.

"Yeah, I know how that feels," she said, more than a little sympathetic to that feeling. Sighing once again, she tilted her head. "You always seem to find yourself in trouble, don't you? Trespassing into the old dorm and all."

"So you've heard?" Jaden nervously laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"I don't know who hasn't." Selene shook her head once more. "What were you even doing there?"

"Well…"

Jaden cast his glance aside, twiddling his fingers. She didn't look away from him as his lips moved, attempting to explain why he was caught trespassing on prohibited grounds.

* * *

Jaden concluded his tale, leaving Selene a bit stunned. Jaden talked about how he believed his life was in danger in quite actually the most casual way possible. There was also quite a lot to process about the whole story.

"Alexis…" Selene muttered, thinking about the fresh rose she had seen in front of the dorm. She looking back up to Jaden, who was patiently waiting for her to respond.

"So, then you know the rumors aren't just rumors."

"Yeah," Jaden said quietly, nodding his head.

They stood in silence for a few more moments. Jaden described the man he dueled as a fraud, so then he probably wasn't a clue to the disappearances. She would have to go see for herself, she presumed.

"Hey, why you look so down?"

"Hm?"

Selene's vision refocused, having gotten lost in her thoughts again. She saw Jaden, whose raised eyebrows told of mild concern.

"Come on, what happened to the smiling Cece I know?"

"I haven't heard that name in a _long_ time," she scoffed, wincing in embarrassment at her old nickname.

"Come on, cheer up!" Jaden firmly smacked her back, causing her to stand up straight and a little wind to be knocked out of her. "That's what you always told me, right?"

"Things change. It's been years after all."

"Yeah but some things don't change." Jaden pressed his lips together, as if he was thinking. "I mean, you're still playing with that old deck gramps gave you right?"

Selene's hand moved to the small leather pouch attached to her belt, as if to check it was still there,

"Yeah, I am."

"Jaden! Jaden!"

Selene's head turned towards the direction of the calling voice where she saw a shorter boy frantically running towards them, waving his arms in the air. He barely managed to stop before them, stumbling a little forwards.

"Jaden- it's time for dinner," Syrus said before noticing the girl. "Oh, hi Selene."

"Hello, Syrus," she said, giving a small wave.

"Anyways you better hurry. Banner said he'd feed your food to Pharaoh if you're not there soon."

"Alright, be there soon Sy." Jaden turned towards Selene, attempting to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Look, I'm not sure what's bothering you but don't let it get you down alright? I gotta go, catch ya later!"

"Right, see you."

* * *

"You've been awfully quiet today."

Selene looked from her space on the bed to see Zane, in his desk chair turned towards her.

"That's rich, coming from you," she scoffed, moving the textbook from her lap onto the bed. Leaning back against the pillow-covered headboard with her arms and legs crossed.

"And silence is strange from you." He shifted his chair so it faced her rather than the desk. "Are you alright? Is your head bothering you again?"

"No, no… It's just…"

Selene tugged at the sleeve of her oversized nightshirt, having been far too comfortable for her to change out of just to study. She shook her head, unsure of what quite to say. Unable to formulate her thoughts into coherent sentences.

"Look- I keep telling you, you should really see Nurse Fontaine about it."

"It's fine, Zane. They come and go. Anyways, it's not my headaches this time believe it or not."

"Then what is it?" Zane moved from his desk towards her. Moving papers and books she had set there earlier, he sat down at the foot of the bed. "This silence from you is disturbing."

"I just can't stop thinking about Syrus and Jaden."

Zane moved further onto his bed, picking up more scattered papers.

"What about them?" he said, setting it off to the side. "Their possible expulsions?"

"Well- yes- that-..." Selene stammered, unsure of how to aptly express what she wanted to say. "And trespassing into our old dorm…"

"They were being foolish, that's all."

"Foolish, huh." Selene thought of her own rendezvous to their old home.

"Yes. It's dangerous there. And you said it yourself, that building hasn't been the same in a long time. Not since…"

"Yeah."

"Zane?"

"Yes, Selene?"

"What do you think happened to them?"

Zane paused, absolutely silent. He was admittedly a little surprised by her question, and unsure of how exactly to respond in a way to avoid upsetting her.

"What do you mean?"

"People don't just disappear, do they?" She shifted her gaze askance. "You don't think they're…"

"Selene- Look… I know you feel responsible-"

"If I had just followed Atticus that night-" she muttered.

"- but you can't keep letting your misplaced guilt eat away at you over something that is in no way your fault. What happened was none of our faults."

"You don't understand."

"I do. I may be one of the few people who understand." He looked towards the ground before glancing back at her. "They're my friends too, Selene. Did you forget that?"

"Of course not-" she shook her head- "it's just…"

He grabbed the textbook she had set down earlier and shut it closed. Gathering up the remainder of the scattered notes on his bed, he stacked them upon one another and straightened them out before laying them down on his lap.

"I think we should stop for the night."

"But-" she began to protest.

"We can always put in more hours over the weekend." He raised his hand, as if to stop her from raising another word of resistance. "You're not going to help anybody, especially not yourself, as you are right now."

She didn't respond. He sighed, standing up.

"Get some rest, Selene."

Selene stayed quiet for a few moments before muttered a small, "Alright then."

She jumped off his bed, taking the notes he had collected and her bag which she had carelessly thrown on the ground earlier. Stuffing the papers into the bag, she walked towards the exit of his room.

"Well, good night, Zane."

"Good night."


	5. Chapter 5

"Gah-!"

"Woah-! Selene- be careful!" Yusuke cried, running over to hold the ladder as it began to unnervingly sway from side to side.

Seleme held her arms out to the sides, paintbrush in one hand had paint bucket in the other, shifting her feet to regain her balance. Now far more steady with support, she breathed a sigh of Relief. Looking down to Yusuke who seemed like he was about to have a heart attack, she gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Yusuke!"

Hooking her left foot around the side of the ladder, Selene grabbed the edge of the sign and leaned over to slather the peachy pink paint on the wooden board.

Duel Monsters Spirit Day was the next day, and it was a fairly big deal on Academy Island. It was always a big festival, even people from the mainland took the ferry out to the island to check it out. Usually friends and family of academy students though.

The insistent hammering from inside the booth suddenly stopped. Atticus stood up, placing his hands down on the booth counter he looked up to Selene.

"How are things looking up there?" he shouted over the chattering noise of other classes setting up their booths.

"Selene almost died!" Yusuke exclaimed, using all his strength to keep the ladder steady.

"Yusuke, this ladder is not even seven feet tall. I would not have _died_ ," Selene said as she covered the last of the exposed wood with pink paint. "And it's looking good, Atticus! Just needs to dry and we can finally decorate!"

"Great!"

Selene stepped down two of the ladder rungs before jumping off with all her might. Her feet kicked up dust as she landed on the ground with a sharp _thud,_ startling Yusuke a bit.

"Zane you're doing that right?"

She looked over to the boy, who was leaning against the booth with folded arms carefully observing the bustle of the festival set-up. He dropped his head a little before looking over to Atticus and Selene who were staring at him with expectant eyes. He gave a heavy sigh.

"I can't believe you volunteered us to help with the class booth," Zane said, shaking his head.

"Awh come on, don't be like that!"

Atticus pulled a heavily exaggerated pout before reaching over and grabbing his friend by the shoulders. Zane looked as if he was about to protest with some sort of witty remark, but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"How are my four elites doing?"

The four turned towards the sight of Crowler walking towards them, wide grin on his face.

"Pretty good, actually!"

Selene proudly gestured towards the booth, beaming.

"Yes, yes, absolutely wonderful! I expected nothing less from you four-"

Crowler was suddenly cut off by two boys wearing red blazers running by, one seeming to be chasing the other. A large scowl formed on Crowler's face before he shouted at the boys, "Hey! You Slifers get back over here!"

The teacher ran off and Yusuke dropped his head with the faintest trace of a smile.

"Crowler's at it again."

"I feel so bad for the Slifers," Selene wistfully sighed.

She looked up to the bright pink sign, squinting to see under the bright sun. She reached up and slapped the sign, exclaiming, "Oh! The paint's dry!"

"Zane buddy, it's your time to shine!" Atticus said, grabbing the black paint on the ground.

"Remind me again, why me?"

"You have the best handwriting out of all of us," Yusuke said matter of factly, moving the ladder over to the left side of the booth.

"And none of us can draw!" Selene piped up.

"I can't either."

"It's the least worst out of all of us."

Atticus thrust the can towards Zane, who begrudgingly took it.

"Do we need a drawing?" he muttered looking up towards the pink wooden slate.

"Yo! Selene!"

Selene turned to see the familiar face of her roommate running towards them, her camera in hand.

"Hey Calla. What's up?"

"Can I get a photo of you guys for the DA Daily?"

"Absolutely!" Atticus said before Selene could even respond, giving the student journalist two thumbs up.

"Alright, I need you to act like you're working!"

"Yeah Zane- act like you're working!" Selene exclaimed, dramatically posing.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"One… Two… Three!"

* * *

Selene woke up, a bit in a daze and her neck in much pain. She sat up, stretching her back. Having fallen asleep on her desk, her arms were still folded over her history textbook.

Her head was pounding. Just another headache she supposed. Though she was struggling to remember what she had just been thinking, or rather dreaming, of- but couldn't find the thoughts. Instead, she found herself continuously drawing blanks.

She turned over towards her alarm clock, its evil red letters reading a rather unholy hour. Standing up, Selene walked over to her windows, pulling open the dusty blue curtains slightly and peeking outside. It was still pitch black, save for the yellow light emitting from the lamps outside the dorm.

Yawning, she was still groggy from her nap. But was refreshed enough that she felt as if she could not fall back asleep. She bounded back over to her desk, grabbing her black leather book bag from her desk before walking towards her door.

She peeked outside her door into the long hallway, looking left and right to make sure no stray student council officers were patrolling the halls. Determining the coast was clear, she stepped out of her room, gently closing the door as to not wake anybody. She quietly shuffled to the end of the hall, pushing open the back exit door and being met with the cold October night air.

Making her way down to the first floor, she took a sharp left turn into a small enclave tucked away underneath the stairs. There, two vending machines filled the enclave with their soft buzzing and fluorescent light.

Selene scanned the selection in the first machine, searching for the coffee she drank so often. She saw many flavors of that ridiculously sweet drink Zane liked so much. She recalled he liked the melon flavor in particular, unsure of how in the world he could even tolerate something so sweet let alone like it. Turning towards the other machine, she scanned the rows of cans and bottles multiple times but none of her beloved coffee. The slot it normally was in appeared to be empty.

She wondered if she should give in and drink one of those insanely sweet drinks Zane liked again, or just give up until they restock the coffee in two days.

As Selene was quietly debating her decision, she heard faint footsteps come down the hall. She immediately moved to press her back against the wall of the enclave, attempting to hide from plain view as much as possible. If she was caught breaking curfew by student council or a teacher she would never hear the end of it.

She quieted her breath as the footsteps became louder, further pressing into the corner between the machine and wall hoping she would be disguised in the dark.

She held her breath as the person passed by. Who as it turned out to be none other than the student body president, Oliver Kim. He passed by, keeping his gaze straight ahead as Selene's followed him. As soon as he was out of view from the enclave, she exhaled deeply.

Big mistake, as she would know in thirty seconds.

The footsteps paused, and Selene realized maybe she shouldn't have relaxed so soon. Then, they began to get closer and before she knew it the face of Oliver Kim was peeking into the enclave.

"Well if it isn't the Empress, Selene Amada herself."

"Oliver. Fancy seeing you out here."

"At this hour of the morning?" Oliver tilted his head to the right, before shaking it slightly. "You do realize you're breaking curfew, right?"

"Is that so?"

Selene thought through her options to respond. She could make a sarcastic remark, and risk making him mad. Or she could play dumb, as she so often did.

"I thought it was still nine fifty-three at night."

Oliver seemed to be stifling a smile at her comment.

"You do realize I could report you, correct?"

"Really?"

"I genuinely can't tell if you're playing dumb and messing with me or if you really don't know."

"Oliver, it's _one_ curfew violation."

"That you've been _caught_ ," he replied, strongly emphasizing the last word. "Besides, if everybody broke the rules, this academy would be in even more chaos than it already is."

He sighed heavily, hanging his head.

"Especially with the new first-years, breaking rules after rules."

"Well…"

Selene shifted slightly, fiddling with her fingers and,relaxing against the wall.

"You are the number two student. You really don't have room to be caught breaking the rules, Empress."

"Kaiser said the same thing," she said, "Something about needing to set a precedent for others."

"He isn't wrong. Others look up to you elites."

"I'm no role model," she muttered.

"You did put yourself in this position."

"I never asked to be number two. It just happened…"

That was true. She never really asked to be one of the top students at the Academy. That title rightfully belonged to Atticus, she was just the lucky- or rather unlucky- bloke who happened to inherit it.

"You know nothing is stopping me from reporting you to Crowler and Fontaine, right?"

"How about, please don't report me?"

"A little Slifer dorm bathroom duty never hurt anybody," he mused.

"I said please."

Oliver, clearly trying to conceal a mischievous smile, tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Hm… Alright then," he finally said. "I'll cut you a deal."

"I'm listening," she replied, furrowing her brows.

"We do our class duel together."

Selene paused. That was a rather suspicious proposition, even though it would save her the ridicule of getting caught breaking curfew.

"Isn't it randomized?"

"In quotes." Oliver circled his wrist outwards, looking aside before looking back at her. "Student council can make arrangements as we see fit."

"I see. So Mister Pristine Student Council President isn't so pristine after all."

"Maybe so," he mused. "But I've been looking forward to dueling you since our first year."

"Alright then, I accept," she said, crossing her arms. "Bring it on."

Oliver smiled as if he knew it was his she would respond. Nodding his head he replied, "Well then, it is getting late. So I suppose I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

"Yeah- see you."

Oliver walked away, his footsteps eventually fading from earshot. Selene sighed in relief, relaxing her shoulders. The tension would cause backaches, in the morning.

"Empress, huh…"

Selene never did like that nickname. She always found it a bit too regal for someone like her. It made her sound like someone assertive, someone with power instead of the pushover she actually was. And she was more than a bit grateful that it wasn't nearly as widely used as 'Kaiser' was for Zane.

Sighing, she turned back to the machines. She had almost forgotten it was the reason she had been out so late. Though, she no longer in a mood for a packaged drink and turned to return to her room when something of a sudden movement flashed in the corner of her eye.

She turned to the right and saw the faint glowing shape of something in the distance, close to the docks. Had she been any sleepier, she may have missed it. She quickly stepped closer to get a better view, and despite the distance saw the unmistakable image of one, silvery white, three-headed Cyber End Dragon.

"What the…?" she murmured, clutching her arm.

She was never too sure of what went on in his head, these days. He always seemed to be hiding something from her, she knew that for sure. She knew that he liked to sneak out and see Alexis at the lighthouse, and she knew that was probably only the tip of the iceberg when it came to his secrets.

Her head began pounding again. Grabbing her forehead, she realized that maybe it was time to go to bed. Turning to return to her room, she cast a brief glance back at Cyber End Dragon.

She would have to ask him about that in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Selene Amada did not, in fact, ask Zane about the happenings of the night before the next morning. Nor the morning after that. Or the many mornings after that. The thought continuously slipped in and out of her mind. Always slipping out around him and slipping in when she was not.

Nibbling away at some strawberry bread, she intently stared at the slip of paper they had stuck outside of classroom 3-B a few days prior. She knew that no matter how long she looked at it, the results would be the same. However, that didn't stop her from being fixated on that sheet of paper.

**Oliver Kim - Selene Amada**

_He really pulled it off,_ she thought to herself, tearing away at the horrifically sweet bread with increasing aggression. _I wonder how._

"Your collar is crooked."

A hand reached over, tugging her white blazer collar straight. She pouted her lips in a childish manner. She didn't have to bother looking up to see who had reached over. She already knew. With a hefty sigh, she lightly brushed his hand away.

"Thanks," she huffed, clicking the heel of her boot against the floor in slight annoyance.

"You weren't at breakfast."

"I woke up late."

"Figures."

She scoffed, pretending to be annoyed at his comment.

"I ran into the cafeteria and all they had was this stuff left."

Selene held out the still warm bread, sections of strawberry jam swirled throughout. Nudging it towards him, she said, "Want the rest? Way too sweet for me."

Zane looked at her and rolled his eyes. She smiled as he took the pale pink loaf from her. She knew he couldn't resist sweets, which was great anytime there were sweets that she needed to dump on him.

"You really should start going to sleep earlier," he scolded, tearing off a section of the bread and popping it into his mouth.

"Oh like you're one to talk," she replied, placing a hand on her hip. "At least I'm not dueling at some unholy hour of the morning."

"What are you talking about…?"

He side-eyed her, the way you would a child telling a story of how they saw a dragon. She was no child though, and she knew what she was was real.

"I saw you, the other night by the docks." She waved her hand in the air as if it would jog his memory. "Cyber End Dragon is pretty unmistakable, you know."

"Ah, yes. That," he quietly replied, looking back at the bulletin board.

"Mind telling me what 'that' is?"

"That first year," Zane said, ice laced through his tone. "The boy, Jaden."

"What about him?"

"He ran up to me," Zane said, monotonous. "Challenged me to a duel."

"He really did?"

"That is what I said."

"Well, no, no. I mean… Jaden came up to me going off on something about… I dunno- an 'off limits' card?" Selene stammered, remembering she did think it was something like a spur-of-the-moment thing he would get over. She put her finger to her lips. "Then he went on about your brother having no confidence? Then he was all like, ' _I gotta duel him! Help me!'_ "

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Have an idea what half that stuff means?" Selene folded her arms, sighing. "I swear, Jaden was barely speaking a human language."

"I-"

"Kaiser! Empress!" came a rather unnaturally chipper voice, especially for that time of the morning.

"Oh no," Selene muttered, fearing the sight she would see the moment she turned around.

"Oh no?" Zane replied inquisitively, raising and eyebrow.

Selene turned on her heel, plastering a fake smile across her face. She placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to her right leg. She hardly had the energy to deal with other people in that moment.

"Hey, Oliver," she said, echoing his overly enthusiastic tone. The same kind of voice she used to greet customers back at her grandfather's shop. A sweetness as fake as an artificial sweetener.

"Oh. Hello Oliver," Zane responded, eyeing Selene curiously. Wondering why she was using _that_ tone on him.

"Good morning to you both." Oliver placed his hands behind his back, grinning. "Why the faces? Are you not _thrilled_ about class duels today? I am, for one."

"Of course," the Kaiser said, not taking his glance off Selene. "You and Selene are matched up this week."

"That's right!" the Student Council President exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "I'm so excited to finally be able to evaluate the Empress herself."

"I heard you're not so bad yourself, Oliver," she replied with a voice pitched above her normal tone. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Yes, yes." Oliver nodded before turning towards Zane. "Kaiser, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Selene privately for a minute?"

"Of course," Zane nodded.

He turned towards Selene, making a quick side glance towards Oliver before looking back at her questioningly. She rolled her eyes in response, her way of saying that it didn't matter. He shook his head. Reaching his hand towards her, he tugged at her collar again, which now seemed to have been crooked all over again. She brushed his hand away, pursing her lips together.

"I'll see you in class," he simply said, walking away.

"See you," she replied with a wave.

She turned her focus back to Oliver. Huffing, she crossed her arms. He smiled, placing a hand in his pocket.

"You and the Kaiser are close," he said.

"So what is it?" she grumbled, straightening her posture.

"Don't think I forgot about our little deal."

"I can't. It's listed right here,"she muttered, motioning towards the board behind her.

"You're quite funny, Miss Amada," Oliver laughed softly. "Nevertheless, that's not what I'm here to talk about."

"What then?"

"I found something interesting about you." He crossed his arms. "Multiple accounts of you entering the woods."

"It's not like they're off limits."

"No. But consistently being seen in entering the same area where the old cobblestone path is does sound a bit odd, doesn't it?"

"Coincidence, maybe."

"Maybe so. But if I recall correctly, you were close with many of the people who went missing. A few of them in particular…" Oliver tapped his finger against his chin, his lips pressed into a small shape. "It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume you decided to take up an investigation yourself."

"So what if I did?"

"All of us lost someone close last year." He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "That's why there are rules in place, to stop something like that from happening again."

Selene looked down, pressing herself against the wall as if to shy away from him. He was right, but…

"So what're you gonna do? Tell Shepard?"

"Not yet, maybe. Or maybe I can drop it, if you win this duel. It is up to you, though."

Oliver walked off, a bit too smug for Selene's tastes. As soon as he was out of sight, she stood back up straight. Swinging her leg back and forth, her heel clicked against the hard tile floor. She had no intention to lose in the first place, but now she had to be careful about who was around when she took her little rendezvous. She let out a frustrated grunt, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

**Zane: 3000**

**Rika: 0**

The holograms on the field faded, leaving only the two figures facing one another across the field.

"Mister Truesdale is the winner!" Crowler declared, holding his arm out towards Zane.

The two figures walked towards each other, stopping in the middle to shake hands.

"Good duel," the blonde girl said with a smile.

"Good game," Zane responded quietly as they shook hands.

"Wonderful job, Mister Truesdale!" Crowler warmly exclaimed, turning towards the class audience. "Everyone should learn from you."

Zane quietly thanked the professor before turning back to his place in the stands. As he climbed up the stairs, he saw Selene looking down twiddling her thumbs. Shaking her head, she deeply exhaled. He took his seat beside her, watching her fidgeting hands from his peripherals.

"Next! Mister Oliver Kim and Miss Selene Amada!" Crowler announced, rapidly tapping his clipboard with a pen. "Please come down to the dueling arena to play your class duel!"

Selene slowly rose from her seat. Stepping right onto the steps, she brushed by Zane.

 _"_ He's a good duelist. Don't underestimate him."

"I know," she replied, not looking up from the ground.

_You'll do fine._

* * *

"So you made it happen," she said, switching her duel disk on.

"Of course not," Oliver mused, sliding his deck into his disk. "Do you take me for the kind of person to back out on my word?"

"Never even dream of it." That was true, at least. Oliver did seem like an honest and genuine person. "So let's stop talking and let's get on with it."

"Hasty are we?" he replied with a crocodile's pout. "Well, I suppose I have been waiting to see how good you actually are, _Empress._ "

**Selene: 4000**

**Oliver: 4000**

"Ladies first," he offered, reaching his hand out as if to take her coat or carry her bag.

"First, I'll summon Lunalight Emerald Bird in defense mode."

A green-skinned monster with an appearance like a young woman appeared on the field. She looked like a dancer, almost. Dressed in bright colors which clashed with one another. Crossing her arms, she knelt down atop an enlarged version of her card.

_Lunalight Emerald Bird_

_Beast-Warrior/Effect_

_1200 ATK/_ _**1000 DEF** _

"And I activate her special effect. By sending a Lunalight monster from my hand to the grave, I can draw."

 _Please let it be the card I need,_ she silently prayed.

"Next, I'll put down a facedown and end my turn."

"My turn?" he quipped, clearly enjoying this. "Alright then. I summon Gem-Armadillo in attack position."

A cartoonish armadillo formed on the field. Unfurling, it revealed orange eyes glowing like gemstones. Rocket-like contractions were strapped to its glimmering shell and sharp class protruded forth from its paws.

_Gem-Armadillo_

_Rock/Effect_

_**1700 ATK** _ _/500 DEF_

"And because I Normal Summoned him, I can add a Gem-Knight monster from my deck to my hand. Next, I think I'll have him clip your bird's wings."

The armadillo pounced from its spot. Its claws seemingly more terrifying now that it was barreling towards her at fifty miles an hour, slicing through through her Emerald Bird. With a cry, the hologram shattered into a million pieces.

"Thanks Oliver. Because of you, I can activate my trap, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! Because you destroyed a monster on my field I can add two Lunalight monsters from my deck to my hand."

Oliver smiled, sending a jolt down Selene's spine. Had she made a mistake? Oh there she went, being careless again.

"As expected," he said, picking one of cards in his hand up between his middle and index finger. "Well, I'll set down a facedown and end then."

"You're quite infuriating, you know?" she muttered indignantly.

"And you're predictable."

"First, I summon Lunalight White Rabbit in attack position."

The hologram on the field formed the appearance of a young girl wielding a large mallet. Cascading white hair and long rabbit ears protruding from her head, a golden crescent decoration covered her face as she stood seven feet in the air, imposing as she gripped her mallet tightly.

_Lunalight White Rabbit_

_Beast-Warrior/Effect_

_**800ATK** _ _/800DEF_

"Your rabbit has nowhere near enough attack points to destroy my Armadillo," Oliver remarked. Cocking his head, he grinned. "But you have a trick up your sleeve, no?"

He was right, she did. Though something about his expression, the playful way he said it, sounded like he was teasing her. She felt the slightest bit of blood rush to her cheeks. Hoping the distance between her and the audience would maybe be enough to cover up the pink in her cheeks.

"Next I discard Lunalight Black Sheep from my hand." She placed the card in the graveyard slot, letting the duel disk swallow it up. "And using my Black Sheep's effect, I can now take Polymerization from my deck and add it to my hand."

She pulled Polymerization after a brief search of her deck. Though as she straightened her deck, her hands shook, Nearly dropping the deck as she attempted to insert to back into her duel disk.

_Concentrate, Selene. Stop being such a screw-up._

"Them I'll activate my White Rabbit's effect. Because I Normal Summoned her, I can summon another card from my Grave in defense position. And I choose Lunalight Black Sheep!"

_Lunalight Black Sheep_

_Beast-Warrior/Effect_

_100ATK/_ _**600DEF** _

"Next I'll use Polymerization and fuse them into Lunalight Cat Dancer!"

The two holograms on the field faded. In their place formed a tall, looming figure resembling a woman with purple skin in a flowing teal dress. The top half of her face was covered by a gold mask resembling a cat.

_Lunalight Cat Dancer_

_Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect_

_**2400ATK** _ _/2000DEF_

"Alright kitty, destroy his Armadillo."

Cat Dancer pounced from her spot. She appeared to stretch her leg out, "kicking" Gem-Armadillo into the air before the hologram shattered into millions of shards.

**Selene: 4000**

**Oliver: 3300**

"And because she attacked monster this turn, she can inflict an extra 100 points of damage directly to you."

**Selene: 4000**

**Oliver: 3200**

Oliver chuckled, watching Cat Dancer bounce back towards Selene's side of the field. She grit her teeth. Why was he laughing? Was he mocking her?

"Lucky for you I have a facedown," he said with a smile. "Brilliant Spark."

The card on Oliver's field flipped over, revealing a purple surface with a glowing illustration atop.

"If a Gem-Knight monster is destroyed I can inflict damage on your Life Points the same amount as its attack points."

**Selene: 2300**

**Oliver: 3200**

_I should've seen that one coming!_

Selene grinded her teeth together. There wasn't much she could do now, after all it wasn't like there was a card on the field that could contradict its effect.

"I end," she managed to croak. Though the words felt as if they were not coming from her mouth.

"From my hand I use Polymerization to fuse Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Lazuli to form Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli."

A stout figure formed on Oliver's side of the field. A robotic looking humanoid figure, with knob-like joints and wide eyes like blue gems.

_Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli_

_Rock/Fusion/Effect_

**2400ATK** _/1000DEF_

"And using her effect, I can discard a Gem-Knight monster from my deck to inflict 500 points of damage on your life points per Special Summoned monster on the field. And because I have one on my field and you have one on yours, you get-"

"One-thousand points of damage," Selene murmured, shaking slightly.

**Selene: 1300**

**Oliver: 3200**

"I think that's enough for one turn," he plainly stated, lowering his arm. "Are you taking this seriously yet, Empress?"

_Careless._

"Now I am," she replied.

Selene looked down at her hand. She had one of the cards she needed to enact her scheme. But if she didn't make the right draw, she would be finished the next turn.

_Come on. Please spirits, let me draw what I need to draw._

Closing her eyes, she quickly plucked out the top card from her deck. Slowly opening them, her heart leapt for joy upon seeing the ever so recognizable image on the card.

"First, I use De-Fusion to get White Rabbit and Black Sheep back. Next, I use the Spell Card Lunalight Fusion. And because you Special Summoned your Gem-Knight I can use a monster from my Extra Deck as fusion material. So I fuse Lunalight Panther Dancer with White Rabbit and Black Sheep to get Lunalight Leo Dancer!"

A hologram appeared standing alone on her side of the field. A tall woman with a mischievous fanged grin on her face. Her wild blue hair reminiscent of a wild cat, shimmering blades in her arms.

_Lunalight Leo Dancer_

_Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect_

_**3500 ATK** _ _/3ooo DEF_

Oliver placed a hand on his hip, seemingly somewhat impressed.

"You finally brought out you trump card, I see."

The boy smirked, tilting his head to the side. Selene only found herself grinning in response.

"You sound surprised." The girl laughed, brushing her bangs from her face. "So first, I'll have her destroy your Lady Lapis Lazuli."

**Selene: 1300**

**Oliver: 2100**

"And because of her Special Effect, she can attack twice. So I think I'll have her attack you directly."

**Selene: 1300**

**Oliver: 0**

For a moment, the air in the arena was still as the holograms faded from sight. The second only broken by Crowler's shrill voice.

"And the winner is Miss Selene Amada!"

Polite applause came from around the stadium. The tightness in her chest gave way, and if felt as if her heart had begun beating again. Had it been frozen before?

Closing her duel disk, Selene took slow strides to Oliver's side of the field. The hard soles of her boots clicking loudly against the stage. Standing right before the student council president, she held out her hand.

Oliver, with a bit of a smile and a sigh closed his own duel disk. He grabbed her hand firmly, giving it a loose shake.

"I suppose I should not have expected anything less from you, Empress."

"You didn't do so bad yourself," she mused, finding herself grinning. "I really did think you had me for a while."

"It seems you'll be keeping your near undefeated streak for now."

Her grin fell, albeit rather jokingly.

"Did you have to add 'near'?" she asked, half in jest.

"I wasn't really going to report you to the Chancellor," he admitted a bit sheepish. Scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, you're far too interesting to have go away."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, laughing. "You're not a bad person either, Oliver."

"This is the most fun I've had in a duel for a long while," the council president said, letting go of her hand.

"We should do this again sometime."

"I agree."

* * *

"You were careless again."

That was the first thing he said to her the moment class was let out. He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes in mild disappointment.

"I know, I know," she muttered, fiddling with her long hair. "You told me not to underestimate him and I did."

"People would've talked."

"They already talk, don't they?" She shook her head, continuing to tug her dark hair into a long braid. "I know not to care, don't worry."

"But-"

"I'm fine, Zane. I'm not a child."

"You can't even fix your own crooked uniform properly and next you're getting in trouble with the student council," he stated plainly.

"I didn't say I was in trouble. Oliver was just being a bit stuffy."

Zane sighed, shaking his head in what could only be described as mild disappointment.

"Your dorm window in no way faces the docks," he began, "How did you know I was dueling that night?"

"I snuck out to buy a snack from the vending machine outside the girl's dorm," she said, recalling the cool air of that night. "Now, will you please explain to me, _why_ were you dueling my cousin at one in the morning?."

"I told you before my brother doesn't belong at Duel Academy, yes?"

"Yeah?"

"There was a particular incident when I was in seventh grade." He looked upwards toward the ceiling as they strode down the hall. "I happened upon him with one of his classmates who had been picking on him."

"You defended your brother, right?"

Selene leaned forward, trying to meet Zane's eyes. Silence.

"Right?" she repeated.

"Yes. He was dueling him. I saw his hand, and he was about to use the Power Bond I gifted him."

"And? You use it all the time, what's the problem?"

"He forgot his opponent had a trap on the field. He was acting rashly, and went to activate Power Bond." Zane crossed his arms, looking down towards the floor. "But the trap combined with Power Bond's drawback would make it so he lost the duel. Before that could happen, I intervened and gave the kid a rare card to not speak of the duel again.

"Oh, I see where this is going." Selene stopped walking, placing her hands on her hips. "You did one of those weird 'tough love' things you do and told Syrus he could never use that card again right?"

"I told him not to use it until he became a proper duelist."

"Losing is a part of life, _Kaiser._ He was in, what? Fifth grade at the time? We all do stupid things in the fifth grade. That was the year I decided to give myself bangs." She shuddered, thinking of the uneven hair that went across her forehead that year. She was an absolute disaster child, she wondered how her grandfather handled it. "Then again my grandfather did put a ban on scissors after that…"

"He wasn't respecting his opponent, Selene. That's absolutely crucial in being a duelist. And because they have that tag duel coming up-"

"Oh, it's tomorrow! We have the morning off to watch it!" she exclaimed, pressing her hands together excitedly. "Er- sorry. Continue."

"I suppose…." Zane paused before releasing a hefty sigh. "My words left a bigger impact than I had anticipated on my brother."

"You think?"

"You can lecture me on the importance of thinking before I speak later," Zane grumbled, "But from what I inferred, my words caused my brother to freeze-up during a duel when he drew Power Bond. And so… I decided to use the duel to send a message to Syrus. Hopefully one that will help him tomorrow."

"So that's it." Laughing, she slapped his shoulder a couple of times. "Well, it's nice and rather uncommon to see your human side, Zane."

He rolled his eyes at her last comment.

"You're impossible."

"Still~" she quipped, stepping a few paces ahead. "Strange to think how you didn't realize you had such a big impact on your little brother!"


End file.
